HSTA board an embarrassment

As a veteran educator with almost 30 years as a third-grade teacher at Sunset Beach Elementary, I am embarrassed by the Hawaii State Teachers Association’s handling of the current election.

It is obvious the present leadership is unhappy with the winners and is trying to invalidate a perfectly honest outcome, certified by the HSTA Elections Committee.

There were 12 irregularities prior to the close of the election, they were addressed by the HSTA, and those teachers voted. It was only after the ballots were cast and tabulated that "irregularities" were cited as the reason to void the election. This is suspicious.

The mainland company, Intelliscan, which ran the election and verified the results, deemed them proper and official.

I feel like I am watching my 8-year-olds playing a game in which the bullies always win, yet the one time they don’t, they force the game to be played again, hoping a repeat will put them in the winners’ seat.

Rex Dubiel
Haleiwa

Lease to IHS Hilo Hattie site

My friend read the article aloud to me: "Plan in store for Honolulu homeless" (Star-Advertiser, May 21).

He inadvertently read the headline as "Plan in store for Honolulu hopeless."

Perhaps a Freudian slip, but isn’t there a bit of truth there?

Since the Harry and Jeanette Weinberg Foundation already owns the land where Hilo Hattie currently stands, I hope someone has asked the foundation if it would consider renting it to the Peanut Butter Ministry (Institute for Human Services).

Given the history of Harry and Jeanette Weinberg and their foundation, a dollar a year for lease rent, along with a long-term lease, might just be possible.

How wonderful that Harry Weinberg had a deep compassion that continues to make a difference long after his passing.

Talk about paying it forward.

Corky Summers
Haleiwa

Keep zip line out of Waimalu

As the ventriloquist Jeff Dunham’s little man Walter would put it, "Just say no" to the proposed Waimalu zip line.

This commercial enterprise has no business in or near a residential neighborhood. The state Department of Land and Natural Resources also should say no to this intrusion into people’s lives.

Bob Heidrich
Aiea

Don’t tolerate bad behaviors

The Chinese government has added harsher penalties to 20-year-old rules for Chinese citizens traveling abroad, in response to complaints about littering, smoking, cutting in line, spitting, shouting and sloppy bathroom etiquette, according to National Public Radio and USA Today.

Understand that this is a tourist and not a racist issue.

Chinese tourists last year took 109 million trips overseas, a 20 percent increase over 2013, contributing more money to global tourism than any other nation, as host destinations compete for the Chinese visitors while overlooking or ignoring bad behaviors.

Given a cautious outlook on the state’s economic growth expressed by experts at a May 11 Chamber of Commerce Hawaii luncheon, state leaders should understand this international concern, which could be a boon or bane to Hawaii as a destination. Understanding the Chinese government rules and consequences would be beneficial. While extending the spirit of aloha to all visitors, citizens of Hawaii, especially those working in the tourist industry, should not be subjected to bad behaviors of an identified group.

Ed Ige
Kaneohe

TMT protesters seek big payoff

In April, work on the construction of the Thirty Meter Telescope atop Mauna Kea came to a halt because of protests by a group of Native Hawaiians who claim that the observatory violates the sanctity of the summit, sacred to their creation god.

But the astronomy precinct where TMT will be built has been home to 12 multinational observatories since 1967. Why are they suddenly up in arms over this one? Because it’s big, involving big bucks.

The group has staged rallies to which folks saunter in as to a county fair with no inkling as to their supposed religious outrage. They just don’t know enough about these gods to get all worked up.

But that’s exactly how the organizers want them, peaceful protestors whose head-count matters in their negotiations to wangle a big payoff.

Ty Pak
Hawaii Loa Ridge